Creamy Lemon Chicken Soup

January feels like the ultimate soup month. The holidays are over, and after all the heavy holiday feasting soups and salads are about all my husband and I want to eat. My kids like chicken noodle more than any other soup, but they loved this creamy twist on the classic chicken noodle. The lemon gives it a little lift and although you can use any kind of pasta, I felt the Acini de Pepe pasta was the perfect proportion of starch in this soup. Enjoy this soup, and stay cozy!



Creamy Lemon Chicken Soup
8-10 servings
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Acini de Pepe pasta
2 cups shredded chicken thigh or breast (I used a mix of both)
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup finely chopped curly parsley
Juice of 1 large lemon
3 tablespoons Trader Joe's Onion Salt*
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the oil and the butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add in the chopped carrot and onions and saute 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion has become translucent.
2. Turn the heat to high and add in the 6 cups of chicken broth and the 4 cups of water into the pot. Bring to a boil. Add in the Trader Joe's Onion Salt, freshly ground pepper, lemon juice and the Acini de Pepe pasta. Bring back to a boil and cook until pasta is cooked al dente, then take the soup off the heat (pasta will continue to cook and soften as it stands).
3. Off the heat, mix in the heavy cream, shredded chicken and chopped parsley. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Depending on how flavored your broth was to begin with, you may need to add more salt. Taste for seasoning and serve with more parsley, if desired. Enjoy.
* You can substitute 3 tablespoons Trader Joe's Onion salt for 1 tablespoon granulated onion, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon dried chives.